One-Year Comparison of a Community-Based Exercise Program Versus a Day Hospital-Based Exercise Program on Quality of Life and Mental Health in Severely Burned Children.
Raquel Peña, Oscar E Suman, Marta Rosenberg and 3 others
PMID 29183752WHAT IT FOUND
Both community-based and day-hospital exercise programs improved quality of life and physical function in severely burned children, with no significant difference between the two groups.
Parents reported more emotional and social improvements in the community group, but overall outcomes were similar.
Key findings
01There was no evidence for a difference between the community-based and day-hospital exercise groups in change over time from baseline for quality of life or mental health.
02Parents reported significantly more improvement in role/social limitations due to emotions, bodily pain, and family activities for the community-based group compared to the day-hospital group.
03Children in the community-based group showed significantly more improvement in family cohesion compared to those in the day-hospital group.
STILL TO COME
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (18 children), resulting in low statistical power. There was a long time gap between the end of the exercise intervention and the follow-up measurements. Compliance with the exercise programs was difficult, with many participants missing appointments due to surgeries, travel issues, or embarrassment. The study could not control for who completed the questionnaires (parent vs. child), potentially introducing bias. Most patients were from Mexico, and logistical barriers like immigration visas and transportation affected retention and follow-up.
Declared interests
The authors have nothing to disclose. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and non-U.S. government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that community-based exercise is superior to day-hospital exercise based on the significant secondary findings in specific domains like family cohesion or bodily pain. The primary analysis found no significant difference between the groups in overall change over time, and the small sample size makes these secondary findings unstable and prone to chance.